Eric Lauer gets 'fresh start' with the Dodgers, who suddenly need starting depth

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Lauer’s onboarding process with his new team included a conversation with Dodgers pitching coach Mark Prior, who was Lauer’s minor league pitching coordinator when he was coming up through the San Diego Padres’ system. “It was kind of like a full circle moment for us,” Lauer said as he began what he called a “fresh start” on Tuesday. Lauer is here out of necessity, a byproduct of the Dodgers’ starting rotation depth that has crumbled since the calendar flipped to May. The club did not have a single pitcher miss a turn through the rotation in April before Tyler Glasnow went down with back spasms, and before Blake Snell lasted just one start and needed elbow surgery. The Dodgers traded for Lauer, whom the Toronto Blue Jays designated for assignment six months after the left-hander was pitching against Los Angeles in the World Series. Lauer is penciled in to make his first start for the Dodgers next Tuesday against the Colorado Rockies, though manager Dave Roberts said he will be available as length out of the bullpen as early as Wednesday. He is the rotation insurance the Dodgers didn’t know they’d need. This could also be the change of scenery that Lauer wanted after he posted a 6.69 ERA in his first eight appearances (six starts) this season. The Dodgers see something in Lauer, who, last season, had a 3.18 ERA while shifting between the rotation and bullpen in Toronto. That was before Lauer’s velocity dipped from 91.7 mph in 2025 to 90.4 mph this year. That will be some of the Dodgers’ focus with him, general manager Brandon Gomes said. “We’ve had our guys take a look and we’ll sit down and talk through some stuff, see how much we can do on the fly,” Gomes said. Lauer pinpointed some mechanical tweaks that he thinks could get him back to the baseline he set a year ago. It was encouraging when Prior presented him with some of the same ideas he already had in mind. “I’m not 22 anymore, but I think he still has a good grasp on what makes me good and what can make me better,” Lauer said. The Dodgers see some levers to pull. They also needed a starter and aren’t going to sacrifice giving Yoshinobu Yamamoto and Shohei Ohtani the rest that they’re used to between outings. The organization is clearly slow playing River Ryan, as the prospect builds up after missing most of the last two seasons with Tommy John surgery. Glasnow has been shut down from throwing. Snell underwent surgery Tuesday to remove three bone spurs from his left elbow. He underwent the same NanoNeedle procedure that Tarik Skubal had earlier this month; the belief is that this will minimize the down time before he resumes throwing, but Snell is still going to miss time. That leaves Lauer to soak up innings, something he welcomes. Lauer’s 2026 in Toronto had been fraught. He voiced some frustration with his usage, suggesting that he did not get the type of raise he was seeking in arbitration because he didn’t finish 2025 as a starter. Five of his first six appearances this season came as a starter. After the Blue Jays used him following an opener on April 17, Lauer spoke up again, saying, “I hate it.” Eric Lauer, on following an opener in today’s #BlueJays game: pic.twitter.com/C6SfeokKGM — Mitch Bannon (@MitchBannon) April 18, 2026 The left-hander, asked about his past comments on Tuesday, said the full quote was taken “out of context.” Lauer said he has since “cleared up” his feelings with Blue Jays manager John Schneider and pitching coach Pete Walker. “There was no ill will there, there was no hurt feelings,” Lauer said. “It was a very simple question, I thought, ‘How do you feel about an opener?’ I think if you ask most starters in the league, they would probably have the same response, that they don’t like it. But it doesn’t mean that I’m not willing to do it. It doesn’t mean that I’m not a team player. I’m not gonna have a problem if there is somebody in front of me. It’s part of the game, it’s become part of the game, and we’re all here to win ball games.” The Dodgers want him to start games, at least until they get healthy. That much has been made clear to Lauer, who joined the team on Tuesday after experiencing travel issues. “It’s good to just have that clarity and that understanding of, this is what we see out of you, this is where we’re going to use you, this is what we need, this is what we want,” Lauer said. “And when it lines up with what I want and what I feel I can do best to help the team, I think that’s a really good spot to be in.” The Dodgers have already seen Lauer plenty, including last October. The left-hander tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings against Los Angeles in the World Series, including 68 pitches in a Game 3 that matched the longest game in World Series history. The first person Lauer spotted in the Dodgers clubhouse Tuesday was Will Klein, who threw 72 pitches and got the win in the 18-inning marathon. “He introduced himself,” Lauer said, “and I was like, ‘All right, I know you, I remember you.’” Whose arm was more sore after that night, Lauer or Klein? “I think his,” Lauer said with a laugh. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms